Jul. 21—GRAND FORKS — A new recruiting cycle opens on Aug. 1, 2026.
Players entering their junior seasons are eligible to begin making official campus visits (paid by the school), receive scholarship offers and make verbal commitments.
Schools have been able to speak with these players since Jan. 1.
This is the Herald’s list of top Americans to know for this cycle. The list is not a strict 1-30 ranking. It is a mix of the top players with a bias toward local and traditional National Collegiate Hockey Conference recruiting grounds.
1. Joey Cullen, F, Moorhead: Joey is widely considered the best of Matt and Bridget’s children, which is saying something because Wyatt just went No. 10 overall in the NHL Draft. Matt, a three-time Stanley Cup champion, has joined the University of Minnesota’s staff. His oldest sons, Brooks and Wyatt, are headed there this fall. It would be a major shock if Joey ended up anywhere else.
2. Drew Daley, D, Lake View, N.Y.: The top defenseman in this class is Daley, who is from just outside of Buffalo. Daley was the only 2010-born player to make Shattuck-St. Mary’s 18U prep team last season. He led his team in scoring among defensemen with 37 points in 54 games. Daley will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team this season.
3. Nash Roed, F, White Bear Lake, Minn.: Roed’s older brothers both developed into great players. Lleyton starred at Bemidji State from 2022-24 before signing an NHL deal with Seattle. Nolan is coming off a strong freshman year at St. Cloud State, where he was recruited by now-Gopher coach Brett Larson. Nash is up next.
4. R.J. Thompson, F, Eden Prairie, Minn.: Thompson broke Danny Kristo’s freshman scoring record at Eden Prairie High School this season. He has accelerated his education and is eligible for recruitment this year. Thompson, who will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team, has Grand Forks connections. His grandparents, Dwight and Ruth, have lived in Grand Forks for 45 years and his father, Steve, is a Grand Forks native. Thompson is a strong 200-foot player.
5. Carter Morris, F, Anchorage, Alaska: Morris was a star for Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16U team, putting up 81 points in 51 games. He will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team this season.
6. Will Losauro, F, Ridgewood, N.J.: Losauro is on the smaller side, but he’s strong and competitive. He figures to be one of the U.S. Under-17 Team’s top scorers this season.
7. Levi Ellingson, F, Pasco, Wash.: Ellingson was the No. 1 pick in the Western Hockey League’s U.S. Prospect Draft in 2025. He played a handful of games for Brandon last season and figures to be one of the top offensive players in the class.
8. Jack Queally, F, Norwood, Mass.: Queally led St. Sebastian Prep School in scoring last season and will move to the U.S. Under-17 Team this year.
9. Mason Schemenauer, D, Minnetrista, Minn.: Schemenauer is a big, physical defenseman with a mean streak. He played for Minnetonka High as a sophomore last season and is headed to the U.S. Under-17 Team.
10. Landon Knott, D, Bemidji: Knott is a smart, poised defender who projects to rise in the hockey world over the next couple of seasons. He will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team this season. His uncle, Todd, is the associate head coach at Wisconsin.
11. Easton Dozark, D, Moorhead: Dozark, who played for Moorhead’s bantam team before moving to Honeybaked 15U, is a physically dominant defenseman who scored a remarkable 50 goals from the back end last season. He has signed with Portland in the WHL.
12. Austin Hall, F, Livonia, Mich.: Hall led Honeybaked’s 15U team in scoring last season with 186 points in 89 games. He has tendered with Youngstown in the United States Hockey League.
13. Trevor Shorter, D, Elmhurst, Ill.: Shorter is not…. shorter. He’s a 6-foot-7, right-handed defenseman who plays for the Chicago Steel in the USHL. He’s an intriguing prospect with his size and ability.
14. Ethan Sung, F, Los Angeles: The 5-foot-9 forward finished tied for third in scoring on Shattuck’s 18U prep team. Sung will play for Sioux Falls in the USHL.
15. Parker Colmer, F, Olathe, Kan.: Colmer has a history of being a big offensive producer. He led Shattuck’s 14U team in scoring in 2024-25 and the 15U team in 2025-26. Colmer has signed with Spokane in the WHL.
16. Jack Trupiano, F, St. Clair Shores, Mich.: Trupiano was the leading scorer for Little Caesars’ 15U team last season and is headed to the U.S. Under-17 Team this season.
17. Dylan Delgado, F, Weston, Fla.: Delgado is a smart, offensively gifted goal-scorer who played for Honeybaked’s 15U team. He has tendered with Sioux Falls in the USHL.
18. Ben Slavick, F, Westland, Mich.: The 6-foot-1 forward from Little Caesars is skilled and smart. He has tendered with Green Bay in the USHL.
19. Andrew Krochalk, D, Caledonia, Mich.: The two-way defender played for the Fox Motors program last season and is headed to the U.S. Under-17 Team this fall.
20. Eli Bimmerle, F, Bartonville, Texas: Bimmerle is coming off of an outstanding season with the Dallas Stars Elite 16U team, where he scored 32 goals in 59 games. He has signed to play for Des Moines in the USHL this season.
21. Avery Hanowski, F, Rosemount, Minn.: Hanowski is a power forward who can play both center and wing. He had 23 points in 31 games for Rosemount High last season. He’s expected to return to Rosemount this season.
22. Mason Martin, G, Byron Center, Mich.: The top goaltending prospect, at this point, is Martin, who played for Fox Motors 15U team last season. The 6-foot-3 netminder will play for the U.S. Under-17 Team.
23. Ryan Teuscher, F, Petoskey, Mich.: Teuscher is on the smaller side at about 5-foot-8, but he’s a big-time scorer who potted more than a goal per game for Fox Motors last season. He’s headed to the U.S. Under-17 Team.
24. Gavin Godbout, D, Woodbury, Minn.: The right-handed defenseman averaged just under a point per game for Hill-Murray last season.
25. Liam Brooks, D, Duluth, Minn.: The right-handed defenseman scored 15 goals and tallied 27 points in 27 games last season for Duluth East in 2025-26. Brooks has signed with Saskatoon in the WHL.
26. Cayden Jackman, F, St. Louis, Mo.: The two-way center from St. Louis is the son of longtime Blues defenseman Barret Jackman.
27. Jack Riehl, F, Mars, Pa.: The Waterloo Black Hawks draft pick is a big offensive producer and goal-scorer. He led Pittsburgh Penguins 15U in goals and points last season.
28. Tyler Kunz, F, Grand Forks: Kunz, the younger brother of former UND winger Jackson Kunz, had a strong season for Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School’s 15U team, tallying 61 points in 58 games. He will return to Shattuck this season.
29. Rylan Aufderheide, D, Mars, Pa.: The right-handed offensive defenseman from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program will likely play at least part of the season for Chicago in the USHL.
30. Matty Lynn, F, Collegeville, Pa.: Lynn averaged more than a point per game for Bishop Kearney Selects 15U team last season and has tendered with Omaha in the USHL.
Honorable mention: Cam Minella, D, Darien, Conn.; Deverin Warner, F, Roselle, N.J.; Cameron Evans, F, Cranberry Township, Pa.; M.J. Campbell, F, Frankfort, Ill.; Blake Wilichoski, F, Danvers, Mass.; Connor Dwyer, G, Bismarck; John Gramer, F, Moorhead; Drew Kortan, D, Moorhead; Nolan Marto, F, Grand Forks; Henry Meier, F, Woodbury, Minn.; Nolan Shorter, F, Elmhurst, Ill.; Griffin Carver, D, Flat Rock, Mich.
